Of Red Gems and Pale Marbles
by Slynthen Advance
Summary: More like lost marbles. The system wants me dead, my father wants me dead, these black creatures want me dead, Raven wants me dead, and I'm just sitting here, trying to live my life. Is that so hard? Yes, apparently it is. Did I mention that the Gamer system I was assigned wants me dead? Rated M for liberal use of foul language. You have been warned. STOP TRYING TO KILL ME, DAMMIT!
1. Chapter 1 The Game will now begin

Disclaimer:  
The following is a non-profit, fan-based fictional story.  
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the Late Monty Oum.  
Please support the official releas.

* * *

Chapter 1

The Game Will Now Begin

* * *

Let it be known that dying in a train wreck is _not_ a painless way to go out. The many gaping wounds in my now-ethereal body can attest to that fact. It is in fact, _very painful_ to have sheet metal, and what _felt_ like rebar puncture my organs in some macabre emulation of a pin-cushion.

0/10 would not go again.

**[Welcome to the Game]**

Alright, either I went to sleep last night after taking the owl's drugs, or I am having the mother of all near-death hallucinations.

**[After your unfortunate accident, you have been selected to become a Gamer]**

It's the drugs one isn't it?

**[Unfortunately, The Gamer was sold out when I was assigned to you, so I will have to make do]**

Yep, I took the owl's drugs. There is no other reasonable explanation of what is going on here.

**[I would very much appreciate you _not_ going out of your way to put yourself in denial]**

Well _excuse_ me, voice in my… vision… last I checked, I was an atheist that was bleeding out all over a pristine carpet floor because some assholish idiot decided a good target for a terror attack would be train tracks in the middle of _fucking nowheresville!_ So I'm a little pissed off right about now, especially given the fact that I had planned to go visit my nephew for the first time in a _year_!

So you can take your complaints _and shove them __**right up your**_-

**[And that's my cue to keep this moving]**

**[Welcome to: The Gamer: Better Armory Edition Version 1.4.2]**

**[The tutorial will now begin]**

**[Either Think or Say 'Commands']**

… Why?

**[This will calibrate how the system will accept commands in the future]**

'_Commands._'

**[Please think 'Stats']**

I'm not in the mood for this bullshit, but whatever. '_Stats._'

**[This is your stats screen, you would do well to familiarize yourself with it]**

**Player Stats**

**Name: _**

**Title(s): N/A**

**Class: N/A**

**Level: N/A**

**EXP: N/A**

**HP: 0/0**

**AP: 0/0**

**MP: 0/0**

**ATK: N/A**

**VIT: N/A**

**STR: N/A**

**DEX: N/A**

**DEF: N/A**

**INT: N/A**

**AGI: N/A**

**Weapon Stats**

**Name: _**

**Type: N/A**

**Weapon Level: N/A**

**WEXP: N/A**

**WHP: 0/0**

**WAP: 0/0**

**WATK: N/A**

**END: N/A**

**MGP: N/A**

**ATR: N/A**

**Skills**

**N/A**

That… is a lot of information that isn't available.

**[In the future, if you do not wish to see all the information listed here, then simply think 'Character Stats' or 'Weapon Stats']**

Noted.

**[Would you like to have an explanation of the stats on this screen?]**

YES! There is no way I'm moving on without knowing what the fuck all that means.

And like that, the system lobbed a wall of text at me.

With a suffering sigh, I begin reading.

**Stats [Statistics.]**

**Character**

**Name [This is the Character's name, obviously.]**

Obvious name is obviously obvious.

**Title(s) [This is either the Title the Character prefers, or the Title(s) they have earned.]**

So no real effect on the character in question eh?

**Class [Like most RPGs, TGBAE has a class system.]**

Vague explanation is vague.

Wait, I already used that one, shit.

**Level [A good way to tell the Character whether or not it's a good idea to antagonize a target, be it a character, monster, or Grimm. Passively increases by one every solar orbit.]**

Good to know, even if it doesn't really help all that much. Leveling up once a year _is _rather interesting, though.

**EXP [TGBAE will display the amount of Experience points the Character has obtained, along with the amount needed to level up, here. Can be gained from both defeating monsters or Grimm and completing tasks.]**

**HP [Health points. This is the enumerated amount of health that the Character/Grimm/Monster has, displayed beside the total. Can be restored by consuming edible items.]**

**AP [Aura Points. This is the enumerated amount of aura that the Character/Monster has, displayed beside the total. Absorbs 90% of all damage taken until broken. Can be restored by consuming edible items.]**

Health was kind of self-explanatory, so not much to say there, but aura? I've never personally heard of aura being a genuine, observable thing before. It makes me wonder what I have awaiting me in my future.

**MP [Mana Points. This is the enumerated amount of mana that the Character has, displayed beside the total. Used as fuel for spells, curses, hexes, and the like.**

**ATK [Attack. Determines the amount of damage dealt when unarmed by LVL+ATK. Can be increased by leveling up.]**

**VIT [Vitality. Determines HP by LVL*(VIT*1.5). Can be increased by eating fruit.]**

**STR [Strength. Determines how much the Character can lift with their person. Pouch capacity is not effected by this stat. Muscle memory is automatically adjusted to compensate. Can be increased by weight lifting.]**

**DEX [Dexterity. Determines Character coordination, reaction speed, and limberness. Can be increased by stretching. Determines AP by LVL*(DEX*1.5).]**

**DEF [Defense. Determines damage taken by DMG-(LVL*DEF). Can be increased by consuming Character's favorite food.]**

**INT [Intelligence. Determines how much damage a magic attack does by (INT+WDMG)*LVL, as well as MP by LVL*(INT*1.5). Does _not_ effect mindset of Character or Character IQ. Can be increased by reading.]**

**AGI [Agility. Determines the speed at which a Character's body can move. Muscle memory is automatically adjusted to compensate. Can be increased by running.]**

Not all that much to say about stats, it's just kind of normal, if a bit off in calculations compared to your average RPG. Though increasing stat levels is going to be a pain in the ass.

**Weapons [Weapons can be upgraded to increase their potential, or broken down into synth spheres to attach to other weapons to increase that weapon's abilities.]**

Wait, what? Did you just straight up rip off Dark Cloud for that idea?

**[…]**

You did, didn't you.

**Name [This is the Name of the Weapon, in case you didn't realize.]**

**Type [The Weapon Type that the weapon in question falls under.]**

**Weapon Level [A good way to estimate how much {Weapon} can improve combat ability. Once it has reached level 5, it can be upgraded.]**

**WEXP [Weapon Experience. This is the amount of experience {Weapon} has obtained, along with the amount needed to level up. Gained by defeating enemies.]**

**WHP [Weapon Health Points. The number of times {Weapon} can be used before it breaks. If a weapon breaks, it will disappear.]**

**WAP [Weapon Aura Points. Weapons with Aura will have their WAP enumerated here.]**

**WATK [Weapon Attack. Determines damage dealt with {Weapon} by ((WATK+WLVL)+LVL+ATK)*PROF. Can be increased by leveling up.]**

**END [Endurance. Determines how much damage {Weapon} takes when impacting something by DMG-(WLVL*END).]**

**MGP [Magical Power. Determines how powerful/how long lasting an attribute is by MGP*LVL+ATK and WAP by WLVL*(MGP*1.5).]**

**ATR [Attribute. Determines selected Attribute.]**

**FIR [Fire Attribute. Lights target on fire. Causes constant damage over a long period of time.]**

**ICE [Ice Attribute. Freezes target briefly. Inflicts slowness debuff for a period of time.]**

**THN [Thunder Attribute. Electrocutes target. Causes brief stun debuff, and constant damage over a short period of time.]**

**WND [Wind Attribute. Sweeping attacks produce blades of air. Inflicts knockback.]**

**LEC [Leech Attribute. Leeches enemy health.]**

**HOL [Holy Attribute. Blinds target briefly. Does bonus damage to dark type creatures.]**

You totally did just rip off Dark Cloud for this. Don't get me wrong, it's a really fun and interesting mechanic, but it's also ridiculously brutal for newbies.

**Miscellaneous Points**

**Enemy Drops [All enemies drop anywhere from 20-600 Lien. Enemies may drop anything from crafting items to, in rare cases, special items.]**

**Inventory [The inventory is where a character keeps their items. Inventory space starts at 60 item slots, and can be increased 20 slots at a time by using the Pouch item.]**

**Personal Weapons [Personal Weapons are weapons that have been built specifically for, or used by a character for a great length of time. Personal Weapons cannot disappear, and generate their own Aura.]**

I guess it all makes sense, but what am I supposed to do with all this?

**[All will be explained in due time, young one]**

Did you just-

**[Welcome to the character creation screen, start by giving yourself a name]**

Fucking asshat. Fine then.

I'll go with something to remember my old life by, something that I can remember easily, but doesn't scream for attention. Come to think of it, what little I remember of my Latin lessons will help here.

…Now that I think about it, It's a rather long name, so I'll need a nickname, too.

**Name: Nolentem Marmor**

**Title(s): Nolen**

**[Excellent. Now, choose a class]**

**Civilian [This class gives a 50% debuff to all combat-oriented skills, and a 100% buff to all household skills.]**

**Knight [This class gives a 100% buff to STR and DEF.]**

**Mage [This class gives a 100% buff to INT and DEX.]**

**Assassin [This class gives a 100% buff to AGI and DEX.]**

**Tank [This class gives a 100% buff to VIT and ATK.]**

**Champion [This class gives a 75% buff to all stats.]**

**[Other classes are locked until further notice]**

Well, ain't that a kick in the ass. Another long, suffering sigh.

Normally, when I play video games, I choose the closest thing I can get to a tank, but given the fact that this is likely to become my life now, I should take every advantage I can get, and tanks are typically slow as hell. I could go for a mage, but I couldn't remember all the spells well enough to justify it. Assassins are really hard to keep alive, and I don't want to be a glass cannon, so that's out. A Knight build would be the way to go, if it weren't for the loss of a Vitality buff. Civilian is just utter garbage, especially since there aren't any debuffs from the other classes; and I'm going to assume I'll be fighting _something_. Therefore, Champion it is.

**Class: Champion**

**Level: 1**

**EXP: 0/1,000**

**HP: 26/26**

**AP: [Locked]**

**MP: [Locked]**

**ATK: 17**

**VIT: 17**

**STR: 17**

**DEX: 17**

**DEF: 17**

**INT: 17**

**AGI: 17**

That HP is going to be a pain in the anus, isn't it? Fucking dammit, I should've guessed something was fishy about this whole thing.

Ooh… not. Just your average character creation screen. Nothing special.

Let's just get this over with. A bit on the tan side, but still distinctly white, I'd never forgive myself for pretending to be a black guy simply for an N-word pass. Pale blue eyes, for consistency's sake, and black hair.

**[Congratulations! For completing character creation, you will now be gifted with a few skills]**

Patronizing asshole.

**Skills**

**Gamer's Body [Player exclusive skill. Allows the Player to live as though they are within a game. All wounds will instantly heal, and the damage taken will be enumerated and subtracted from their overall health points. NOTICE: This version of Gamer's Body_will leave scars,_ for the sake of avoiding suspicion. Can survive without sleep or sustenance indefinitely, and resting in a bed will recover HP, AP and cure all negative status effects.]**

Fat lot of good that'll do, as far as suspicion goes, but _whatever_.

**Gamer's Mind [Player exclusive skill. TGBAE does not subscribe to the traditional Gamer's Mind ability. Gamer's mind prevents all externally inflicted mental status effects from effecting the Player directly. The Player's base mental state is not effected. Emotions are not effected.]**

**Martial Arts Proficiency [The character's proficiency with martial arts, from karate, to tai kwan doe, to boxing and more. This can range from level 1-100; all characters start at level 1, and grow with time.]**

**Blade Proficiency [The character's proficiency with a blade, from swords, to knives, to axes and more. This can range from level 1-100; all characters start at level 1, and grow with time.]**

**Club Proficiency [The character's proficiency with a bludgeon, from clubs, to maces, and more. This can range from level 1-100; all characters start at level 1, and grow with time.]**

**Magic Proficiency [The character's proficiency with magic. This can range from level 0-100; all characters start at level 0, and can grow with time. A character will require a focus, whether it be a wand, a staff, a cane, a bracelet, or something else entirely.]**

**Polearm Proficiency [The character's proficiency with polearms, from spears to naginatas. This can range from level 1-100; all characters start at level 1, and grow with time.]**

**Firearm Proficiency [The character's proficiency with firearms, from pistols, to rifles, to slingshots, and more. This can range from level 1-100; all characters start at level 1, and grow with time.]**

I desperately want something in this to not make any sense, so I can try to punch the person who did it in the face, but such is life… or my luck, depending on how you look at it. I hate my life.

**[Did anyone ever tell you that you're an angry individual?]**

Yes.

Many times.

Fuck you for bringing it up.

**[Unfortunately, that attitude will only make your new life harder. Also, since you are so insistent on being a headache, your start will be less kind than most]**

Scowling at the blue screen of death in front of me, I simply flip it the bird.

**[The Game will now Begin]**

* * *

End Chapter 1

* * *

Author's Note:

Turns out, my muse decided RWBY and The Gamer are what I'm going to be writing for a while. I am incredibly sorry to anyone who's been following my other stories. But, rest assured, I _will_ be getting back to them... eventually.


	2. Chapter 2 Shitty start

**ATTENTION: Important author's note at the end. Assuming you intend to continue reading this story, please read it.**

* * *

Chapter 2  
Shitty Start

* * *

I'll have you know… whoever you may be… that being born again was even more humiliating than it sounds, especially since I didn't expect to be fucking born into an abusive household. I, of course, didn't find that out until hours after my second birth, but it was quite the surprise when father burst into the room I was born in, and immediately looked like he wanted to kill someone. Probably me, now that I think about it.

Through context clues, and a general understanding of the world that no 4-day-old should have, it looked like mother had to call her friend over to give birth to me – which is a terrible idea no matter how you spin the details, but whatever – because father decided it would be a great idea to just leave my unborn ass in mother's womb.

BECAUSE THAT WOULD HAVE GONE**FUCKING**_SWIMMINGLY!_

The only real big question I had regarding the world I was born into, since I had _so much_ information I could realistically get my hands on as a newborn, was _how in all that is holy_ can I understand the language here? I am a fluent, native, English speaker, I am proficient in Spanish, I know an amount of German, I can get away with Mandarin, my Japanese is admittedly rusty, and I can just recall a few lessons from my singular class in Latin, but _none_ of those languages are quite like this 'Valean Basic', and yet I can understand them as if I was fluent in Valean my entire life.

The only reason I knew the language's name was because mother's friend was having a debate with mother over whether or not moving out of father's house was a good idea. Mother's friend wanted her to move to another continent in order to escape father, but mother brought up the issue that she only knew 'Valean Basic'. It was a good point in all honesty; back home, there were hundreds, if not thousands of different languages, so it wouldn't surprise me if the language on this 'Sanus' continent was completely different. That would, of course, mean that I would have to learn yet another language, probably whatever passed for basic knowledge in this 'Vacuo' place they keep mentioning.

Then again, all that is assuming they even bring me with them. They were talking about it as if they're going to leave me behind, which I honestly can't blame them for, given the fact I'm father's son.

And how I found _that_ little detail out _still_ baffles me.

We _smell_ alike. Of course the whole blood relation thing was more through context and comparison than anything, but there you go. Mother and I smell alike, father and I smell alike, but I don't smell like mother's friend.

Oh, almost forgot, cover your ears kids, because now I'm going to start talking about _abuse_, everyone's favorite pastime.

In addition to likely being a psychopath, my father is an abusive husband who uses mother's hard-earned money to fuel his tobacco and alcohol addictions. I would say that she never should've married him in the first place, but from what I understand, he used to be a genuinely good person, flaws or no. So that would be a question I would never receive an honest answer to, regardless of my intentions.

I stared up at my mother's face, my tiny hands reaching up toward her, as she looked down at me with a conflicted look. I babbled incoherently at her, trying to somehow tell her that she should leave this hellhole, even if that meant leaving me behind. I've had my time to live, this is all just new game plus for me.

God, that was cheesy. Note to self, don't ever try to comfort anyone. Ever.

It didn't surprise me that she didn't understand, she simply huffed in amusement before sticking my pacifier in my mouth. Naturally, I gave her the most evil look I could muster as a tiny baby, but she either didn't notice or chose to ignore it.

I would sigh if I could get away with it.

* * *

Month 5

TEETHING FUCKING_ HURTS_, DAMMIT!

* * *

Age 1

**[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]**

**Name: Nolentem Marmor  
****Title(s): Nolen  
****Class: Champion**

**Level: 2  
****EXP: 0/2,000  
****HP: 63/63  
****AP: [Locked]  
****MP: [Locked]**

**ATK: 19  
****VIT: 21  
****STR: 17  
****DEX: 17  
****DEF: 17  
****INT: 19  
****AGI: 17**

Something's wrong here, I only leveled up once, so ATK should've only gone up by one point, not to mention I only got one notification stating INT increased, and two that VIT increased. That math doesn't add up.

**[The buffs that your class give you are permanent, and therefore, may exaggerate your growth rate]**

Well. That's good to know. At least I don't have to worry too much about leveling.

"I said get over here, you fat nugget, or I'll grind you into hamburger." Father said, pointing at the ground in front of him. On the other side of the hall. I merely gave him a flat, incredulous stare. He pointed at his feet again, much more demanding this time, and glared at me.

I huffed in irritation, got to my tiny feet, and walked over to him. Yeah, I finally regained some semblance of motor control, and am now walking on my own, though father is as much of a flying shit-stain as always. Once I managed to reach him, I simply looked up, waiting for the inevitable.

It came, as always. He picked me up, walked over to the other end of the hall, and set me down, before returning to his end of the hall, and standing there. Naturally, I decided I'd had enough, and plopped my butt down for the first time in 3 hours.

"Come on, you tater tot of lard, get over here." Father seemed to be in a good mood. Oh, right, turns out that casually insulting everything that moves is father's good mood, especially so since he's not swearing.

"Come here, you teletubby bastard." Apparently he's done with my shit, but I'm also done with his, so I just stared him in the eye, with a flat expression.

**[Congratulations! Through repeated actions, you have created a skill!]**

**Observe: Level 1  
****[Player exclusive skill. Max level is 10. Observe allows the player to view a target's name, stats, skills, and weapons.  
****At level 1, Observe only allows the player to view a target's name.]**

Huh.

Neat.

I faced my target. '_Observe._'

**Name: Rutherford Smith**

Well. Now I can stop mentally calling him 'father', especially since I'd rather not continue calling this walking pile of trash such. Ruth, it is. Ruth the infant abuser.

Yeah, turns out, this trash heap is smarter than he looks, and decided that, since mother left him, he was going to take his anger out on his not-even-one-year-old son. Then he found out that all my injuries heal instantaneously, and proceeded to beat me within an inch of my life. All but literally. 1 HP. Every. Single. God. Damned. Time. So, naturally, I decided I was going to be as obstinately defiant as I could possibly get away with, in an effort to show him how willing I am to deal with his shit.

Oh! Another thing I forgot to mention, mother left about a month ago, after I learned to walk on my own. I still don't blame her, the piece of work she left behind doesn't seem to miss her, and I'm not about to gift him any 'dad of the year' awards. To be completely honest, I suspect the only reason she didn't leave sooner, is because she was pregnant, and then because she wanted to make sure I could survive Ruth the infant abuser.

Also, Ruth the infant abuser is incomprehensibly lucky I have the Gamer's Body skill, he's been feeding me nothing but candy, ground beef, minced fish, and the occasional grape. Combine that with the constant beatings, and I should be in a coffin for a coffin. Bad analogy, don't do that again. Point is, if I were literally anybody else, I'd be dead several hundred times over by now, makes me wonder what he'd do if I just decided to not wake up from a nap one day.

I let out an annoyed babble, trying to make my frustration known. Turns out, Ruth didn't like that, as he proceeded to march up to me, and kick me in the head.

* * *

Age 2

"You are easily the most annoying child I've ever met." Garnet said, staring down at me impassively.

I decided not to dignify that statement with a response, and simply continued to glower at her, hoping beyond hope that she would find some modicum of intelligence in that head of hers. Yes, I'm an annoying asshole, I know, it's almost like I'm reminded _every single fucking day_. My unchanging facial expression must have finally gotten through to her, because she finally decided to turn around and leave my presence. Probably to go find Ruth, given that she entered his bedroom.

Her timing was impeccable, as Ruth walked in the front door not two seconds later. He glanced at me with a questioning expression after he set his groceries down on the coffee table, not seeing Garnet in the living room. I huffed and answered, more out of boredom and curiosity than actually giving a shit.

"Garnet's in yer bedroom."

"I thought I told you to scare her off, dipshit." He responded.

"How intimidating do I look to you?"

"I was more hoping that ugly mug of yours would do the work."

Another huff escaped my mouth. "She called me the most annoying child she'd ever met and walked off."

"Can't do a fuckin' thing I tell you to, can you?"

"Depends. Do you want me to scare her off, or bite her ankles?"

"Eh, good point, yer not exactly frightening, and I doubt biting her ankles would end all too well."

"Exactly."

"So was this before or after she dropped you into the high-chair?" He asked as he started putting away the groceries.

"After, obviously. She couldn't _force_ me into this chair if I was genuinely struggling."

"And you would be if she called you that before." Ruth responded mockingly. "I get it, fuck face."

I just huffed again, turning my attention back to the hallway as I waited for either a beating or the arguing that would no doubt ensue once Garnet and Ruth interacted again.

Right! Mental progress report…

To myself...

**[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]**

**Name: Nolentem Marmor  
****Title(s): Nolen, Dipshit  
****Class: Champion**

**Level: 3  
****EXP: 0/3,000  
****HP: 102/102  
****AP: [Locked]  
****MP: [Locked]**

**ATK: 21  
****VIT: 22  
****STR: 17  
****DEX: 19  
****DEF: 17  
****INT: 22  
****AGI: 17**

I don't have all that much to say, really. Been starting to stretch recently, since I'm old enough to get away with it… or at least old enough to not draw Ruth's attention to me when I do it. The guy can be smarter than he looks at times, and immediately turn around and be the biggest fucktard on the planet, all the while with an ego the size of the sun.

About 2 months ago, Ruth managed to convince Garnet to be his booty call. How, I'll never know, but he managed it, regardless of how much I both disapprove of, and disbelieve in, his abilities. He never ceases to amaze, despite his apparent lack of brain cells. Both literally and metaphorically.

Garnet herself is… an interesting personality. She takes her stance as a booty call seriously, and doesn't do much other than that and her job to my understanding. She doesn't like me much, but she tolerates me, nonetheless, since Ruth seems to be under the impression that his beatings are some kind of 'tough love'…

Now that I think about it, that explains way too much.

Oh, and this.

**Observe: Level 4  
****[At level 1, Observe only allows the player to view a target's name.  
****At level 2, Observe allows the player to view a target's name, and titles.  
****At level 3, Observe allows the player to view a target's name, titles, MP, AP, and HP.  
****At level 4, Observe allows the player to view a target's name, titles, MP, AP, HP, and LVL.]**

'_Observe._'

**Name: Rutherford Smith  
****Title(s): Ruth the infant abuser**

**Level: 35  
****HP: 1,300/1,378  
****AP: [Locked]  
****MP:[Locked]**

So apparently, observe is a pain in the ass to level up in a confined space, and thus I've been significantly restricted on my options to level it up, unless I started using it on individual threads in the carpet. No way in hell am I subjecting myself to that torture, so I'm just going to keep at what I've been doing. Slowly finding new things to observe. Oh yeah, turns out, I have to observe _new_ things to level up observe. It's as much of a pain in the ass as it sounds.

As I've been trapped in this house, there really isn't all that much to do, but luckily, insanity seems to be counted as an externally inflicted mental status effect, even if boredom isn't. That means that I could, hypothetically, be trapped in a cave after a cave-in, and just be bored to tears until someone found me. Or died of old age. If I _can_ die of old age.

That's something I'll need to look into sometime.

* * *

End Chapter 2

* * *

Author's Note:

I have been having some minor troubles with how I set up the system for the main character, so this chapter came out a day later than it would have if I didn't. Apologies for that. Though, if I'm being honest with myself, this is the fastest I've made a chapter in a long time, so hopefully that means I can keep pumping out chapters for a while into the future. Here's to hoping.

In the mean-time, I just thought I'd point out that this story is going to be on the darker end of the spectrum for the first ark. So, if you don't think you'd like to read what comes next, you've been warned. Also, I'd like to point out that I forgot to mention gore in the summary an in the previous chapter's notes. Again, you've been warned. Thank you all for your time.

Please review. Input can only rarely be unhelpful.


	3. Chapter 3 First Blood

Chapter 3  
First Blood

* * *

Age 8

Let it be known that I despise everything that has anything to do with Ruth the infant abuser. He has continued to be the least likable person I've ever had the displeasure of laying my eyes on. He continues to be an idiot in almost every way imaginable, and has continued on to have his ego stroked in ways I didn't know he felt insecure enough about to try to deal with. For example, last week, he felt the need to validate his John Hancock, so he figured trying to impress an 8-year-old with what amounts to an indescribable mess of squiggles would be a good idea.

To be fair, I doubt many people would be able to replicate his signature, if for no other reason than because it's just that much of a mess.

**[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]**

**Name: Nolentem Marmor**

**Title(s): Nolen, Dipshit**

**Class: Champion**

**Level: 8**

**EXP: 801/8,000**

**HP: 423/441**

**AP: [Locked]**

**MP: [Locked]**

**ATK: 29**

**VIT: 36**

**STR: 22**

**DEX: 26**

**DEF:21**

**INT: 35**

**AGI: 24**

Yeah, cool, I guess.

Oh, right. Ahem.

In the last 6 years or so, I've been attempting to actually make progress with leveling my stats, with only so much success. That success boils down to Ruth being an annoyingly easily distracted trash heap. Seriously, I simply turn on the unusually old television in the living room, and he just sits there on the couch like it's the fucking bible and he's in the middle of a sermon.

I don't know whether or not that it's a good thing that he's as neglectful as he is. It's a good thing because it gives me an amount of time to myself to do shit, but it's most definitely a bad thing because if I didn't have the frame of mind from before my death, then I'd be a pile of meat in the corner by now. It's bullshit. It's complete and utter bullshit, because my old parents, while definitely not model examples, would at least be able to pick their own children out of a crowd to make sure they're okay.

Complaining about neglectful parents. God, I feel like such an edgy teenager right now.

**[Stealth has leveled up!]**

Oh, yeah, that. Turns out, stealth is a viable skill. I gained it by sneaking out the back door yesterday, in an attempt to actually see the outside world. Also, Ruth has the observation skills of a damn snail. Is that a good analogy? I don't actually know how observant snails are. Back to the point.

**Stealth: Level 13**

**[The character's ability to sneak by undetected. This skill can range from level 1-100; a character can gain this skill by successfully sneaking away from any given location.]**

I think that the level I have in it should tell you just how much I've been sneaking out. It's not even that hard to level up. I'm just sitting here, in the back of an alleyway, watching people as they go by. The skill levels every now and then, making it so less people notice me. The less people notice me, the faster the skill levels, and I've only really been sitting here for five hours today, and I plan on heading back to Ruth's house at about 4:00-ish, so I don't draw _too_ much attention to myself. Lord knows what would happen if the guy actually decided he'd had enough.

I just remembered I should be leveling my Observe skill. Oops.

**Observe: Level 7**

**[At level 5, Observe allows the player to view a target's name, titles, MP, AP, HP, LVL and EXP.**

**At level 6, Observe allows the player to view a target's name, titles, MP, AP, HP, LVL, EXP, and stats.**

**At level 7, Observe allows the player to view a target's name, titles, MP, AP, HP, LVL, EXP, stats, skills, and class.]**

So, that's where I'm at for the moment. Grinding skills, and slowly trying to level up. It's easily the biggest pain in the ass I've had the 'opportunity' to deal with. Good news, some skills are incredibly easy to level, like stealth, however others are far more frustrating, like observe. I still haven't found a way to level my proficiency skills, but I get the feeling that it's just a matter of time until I do.

Deciding I needed to level my observe skill, I used it on everyone in sight, resulting in an almost solid wall of screens. Turns out, the average adult is around level 20-35, not all too impressive, if the leveling system is to be believed, I just hope that I can level up quicker than average in the future, otherwise I'll be a sitting duck for anybody who's especially strong. Hell, I'd wager I'd be a sitting duck for anybody who's even moderately strong at present.

Sure, their stats all fall below the 50 mark, but their levels are all at _least_ twice mine. That makes them all several times stronger than me without even trying, meaning I'd probably be shit of luck if I went anywhere that constituted any form of guard. I'd be nothing but some scrawny kid that just so happened to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time in their eyes.

That's more depressing than I thought it'd be.

Regardless, something caught my eye as I was sifting through the wall of windows. All of the people I've run into thus far have been civilian class, so seeing something else on one of the screens was something of a novelty. It surprised me enough to ignore the calico that landed on my shoulder.

**Name: Wellsman Markovski**

**Title(s): Red Sun**

**Class: Bandit**

**Level: 28**

**EXP: 700/28,000**

**HP: 546/546**

**AP: 588/588**

**MP: [Locked]**

**ATK: 37**

**VIT: 13**

**STR: 18**

**DEX: 14**

**DEF: 11**

**INT: 16**

**AGI: 22**

I blinked in utter bafflement. His ATK was easily the highest stat he had, and it _was_ higher than average, but all his other stats were utter garbage. _I _could take him on and have a chance at winning. Honestly, his stats are just pathetic, he would lose in a fight against literally anyone in this town, if they had even the slightest amount of combat training. It was almost sad that he seemed to glare at everyone in his field of view.

**[Observe has leveled up!]**

**Observe: Level 8**

_God_, this was hard to watch.

Almost makes me want to care about what's going to happen to him.

"Mrow." The cat… sounded from atop my shoulder. Yeah, probably not worth it. I shake my head in an attempt to dissuade any lingering thoughts regarding it. It's probably nothing, regardless.

I slowly raise a hand to the cat, watching it carefully. It seemed to regard my hand for a long moment, before it pushed its head into it, and I started idly scratching its head as I continued leveling my stealth skill.

**[Stealth has leveled up!]**

**Stealth: Level 14**

Neat.

I waited a while longer before getting up. Stretching out my limbs, both from disuse these last few hours, and because I needed to level my DEX.

**[Dexterity has increased!]**

**DEX: (16+75%) 28**

I snorted at the timing, and glanced at the cat on my shoulder. It just kind of stared back, then jumped on my head, pawing at my ears. I tried to give it an incredulous stare, but it was well out of my range of vision for the moment, so I settled on rolling my eyes, and moving on with my life.

Oh, right. I'm being the most forgetful person on Remnant today. Turns out that I'm a Bear Faunus, I think I got it from my mother, but it could've been a recessive trait that I got from Ruth, too. Not entirely sure just yet. Point is, _that_ was how I was able to smell the difference between the people in the room I was born in. From what I remember of my classes in biology, bears had one of the best senses of smell in the animal kingdom, so that means I've got arguably one of the best noses on Remnant… Assuming I didn't get used to the scent of smoke and alcohol. Yeah.

After touring around the town these last few weeks, I've learned that the planet I'm on is called Remnant. An odd name, given it's the moon that's shattered, but oh well. Turns out, that Faunus are – socially speaking – a second class race… _for_ _some reason_. Legally speaking, they're totally equal to humans, it's just that… people don't like to listen to laws they don't agree with; so some shops don't serve Faunus, for example.

There's an organization called the White Fang that quite a few local Faunus are members of – as well as a few local Humans – that conducts peaceful protests against the aforementioned shops. Once I get old enough, I think I'll join myself, if only to make sure that I get served; by following a few Faunus around, I found out that those who are members of the White Fang are served in more stores.

Likely, it's a placating gesture, meant to keep a muzzle on the possible attack dog. A peaceful protest group could easily turn into a terrorist organization. The black civil rights movement from back home was a prime example; plenty of minor sects split of from the main organization and turned violent. Of course, that took decades to happen, and even longer to actually have a great enough impact on society to force change.

Of course, the reason it took as relatively little time as it did, was because white people were seeing black people for who they were for decades longer than that, leading them to be far more open to the idea than they would have been otherwise.

ANYWAY, rant over.

Walking down the street, I found a vendor in the farmers' market that was selling peaches for 5 Lien a piece. I raised an eyebrow at the price, that was a lot of money for a peach, heck, just around the corner was a vendor selling them for 2 Lien a piece. I ultimately shook my head, shifting my attention to some of the other vendors.

There was one vendor in particular I was keeping an eye out for, run by an older gentleman named Wash Falcon. I remember snickering at his name when I found out, which got me caught when I first tried to level my stealth skill. He had called out to me, and brought me to his shop, a bakery near the barracks of the town.

We ended up talking for a good while, and I found myself confessing that I was financially broke after a time. It didn't really bother me then, nor does it now, but he offered me a box of doughnuts, and I couldn't find a good reason to turn them down. That's the story of how I found out that my favorite food is jelly-filled doughnuts, leading to how I started leveling my DEF.

I went back to visit him several times afterward, naturally, and he sort of became the adult figure my life was lacking. He ended up being a good friend in my eyes, someone I genuinely enjoyed being around, and talking to. Yesterday, I went to his shop and found out he runs a vendor about this time of year so he could sell his excess stock of fruit from his orchard.

I was naturally curious, and having the excuse of being a curious child was the perfect cover for heading through the area.

The cat hopped down to my left shoulder as I passed by a couple that was debating buying the vendor's peaches. I decided he probably needed the business and ignored the fact that they were buying overpriced products. He probably had a good reason to be selling them at over twice the normal price anyway.

I shot it a glance that told it how happy I was that it decided that my head was a good perch, that being not at all. It ignored me, in favor of eyeing a different vendor that was selling salmon. I elected to then shoo it off my shoulder, earning a warning growl in response. There was no way in hell I was going to get caught up in its little game of thievery.

Of course, that's when the universe decided it's been long enough since the last thing that ruined my life.

The next few minutes were a blur, starting with an explosion, which lead to mass panic. All that I know for absolute certain was that there was a lot of black fur, I was running, and there were more gunshots than there were guards in the town.

**[Damage Taken!]**

**-20 HP**

**HP: 421/441**

When I awoke properly, I was on the ground, I couldn't see out of my left eye, and I was in a _lot_ of pain. I'm starting to think that either the universe just plain hates me, or the voice in my vision had some sort of role in it. I looked up, having gotten to my hands and knees, and find the barrel of a rifle pointed directly in my face.

I follow the weapon to its wielder, ever so slowly, in an effort to appear every bit as shocked as an 8-year-old would be. I'm met with the smirk of the bastard from earlier in the day. He looked so smug he may as well have won the grand lottery.

"Well, well, well. Look at what I found." He said in a tone that just screamed arrogant prick.

I slowly started raising my hands, like any child in my position likely would, if they weren't too busy shitting themselves. He seemed all to gleeful in my expression, so I likely pulled off the scared child look well enough.

**[Congratulations! Through a specific action, you have created a skill!]**

**Acting**

**[The ability to put on a performance for those around you. This skill allows the character to fool others with phony expressions and movement. This a unique skill, and thus has no levels.]**

'_Not now, you piece of garbage!'_ I mentally scream at the screen in front of me.

Once my hands reached the midway point between the ground and the air, I swiftly batted the end away from my face, and moved in for a beating. Weather it would be mine or his was yet to be decided.

As retaliation, I shot a quick jab at his face, landing a punch directly on his nose. The sound of cartilage breaking was followed by a slackened grip on his weapon, which clattered to the ground in his surprise as he brought his aura to bear… dammit, I made a pun.

**[Damage Dealt!]**

**-25 HP**

**HP: 521/546**

I quickly picked up the weapon, and brought it around, immediately firing into the injured man.

**-475 AP**

**-475 AP**

**[Aura Broken!]**

Following his Aura shattering in just two shots, his eyes widened, and he closed what little distance there was between us. I responded by flipping the rifle around and beating him with it like a club.

**-275 HP**

**HP: 246**

The hit sent him across the street, and I found myself shooting him while he was down.

**-475**

**HP: -249**

**[Congratulations! Through intense exercise, your AGI has increased!]**

**[Congratulations! Due to enacting your first kill, and the immense stress surrounding the event, you have unlocked your Aura!]**

**Name: Nolentem Marmor**

**Title(s): Nolen**

**Class: Champion**

**Level: 8**

**EXP: 801/8,000**

**HP: 421/441**

**AP: 336/336**

**MP: [Locked]**

**ATK: 29**

**VIT:36**

**STR:22**

**DEX:28**

**DEF:21**

**INT:35**

**AGI:26**

…

…

…

I just killed someone…

**[Congratulations! You have leveled up!] x 22**

**Name: Nolentem Marmor**

**Title(s): Nolen**

**Class: Champion**

**Level: 30**

**EXP: 501/30,000**

**HP: 1653**

**AP: 1260**

**MP: [Locked]**

**ATK: 29**

**VIT:36**

**STR:22**

**DEX:28**

**DEF:21**

**INT:35**

**AGI:26**

I just killed someone…

* * *

End Chapter 3

* * *

Author's notes:

First cliffhanger of the series! Yaaaay!

Rest assured, I _do_ plan to continue writing the next chapter right after this one is uploaded.

Anyways, on to reviews!

doomqwer: well shit game dad is a piece of shit and i do look forward to what you do

Response: Yes he is, that was intentional as far as the story is concerned. I thank you for your interest, and hope you continue reading.

andrestar: really liking this story so far, glad to see having the MC slowly working himself up and not having everything on a silver platter. kudos on you 3

Response: Thank you, I hope you like where I'm taking the story, and hope to see more reviews from you. I will keep having the player struggle, regardless of what happened in this chapter. 'Tis all a prelude, my friend.

Azrael Zero: I honestly like the way you're doing things. The Dark Cloud system was one of the most fun and satisfying things I remember growing with. Dark Cloud 2 being one of my favorites. Now as to move forward, I'm thinking you start bring over some other mechanics. Like eating your favorite food gives a small boost in health, finding special items, maybe even crafting/inventing as well.(This should endear him to Ruby as well if thats your plan.)

Also I suggest using dust crystals in place of the elemental crystals. Works better. Maybe even create Aura and Grimm crystals for Holy and Dark. Hope to see more soon.

Response: Indeed, it was very fun. That was part of why I made it an essential part of my fic. It was fun to play, and satisfying to succeed.

If you look at the first chapter, it explains how each and every stat levels. Simply leveling won't boost stats for Nolen, so he has to do stuff for the appropriate stat to level. In the case of eating his favorite food, it levels his DEF, or defense. As far as crafting/inventing is concerned, I have a few ideas of my own, but am open to input, regardless.

I don't plan on having him romance Ruby, if that's what you're asking, but it could definitely be a point of interest! I will take your idea under consideration.

Your crystals idea will be put to use! I personally hadn't thought of that, and appreciate the idea!

SalinorTheDrake:Way too many times have I seen characters for the glass cannon/wizard/assassin build. It's annoys the absolute hell outta me so I just stop reading and move on. I'm hella glad you didn't go down that route. I wish ya luck on the story and happily wait for the next chapter

Response: I agree, Wizard is _far_ less amazing than most fics make it out to be; yes it can be amazing if you speck into it correctly, but it can also be outdone in DPS, for example, by something like an assassin, and assassins can be utterly _destroyed_ by a good enough tank. Overall, I find myself disliking most Gamer fics for the simple fact that their MCs overspecialize, and would be totally useless if another Gamer that specked into something more than just whatever they specialize in.

Aside from that, it just tends to be tedious reading basically the same thing over and over again. Player comes in, immediately starts wrecking house, and becomes the masiah to all... then nothing ever comes of it.

Maybe it's just me, but it gets incredibly annoying to read about these characters that just... don't think about their situation properly.

Anyway, rant over.

To Sam and Gobert600, Thank you for the reviews, but I couldn't get much from them. If you could be a tad more specific about what you liked and disliked that would be appreciated. Otherwise, though, I appreciate your... appreciation(?) regardless.

Reviews are always welcome, and only rarely unhelpful. So please do so!

Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4 Offer of Damnation

Chapter 4  
Offer of Damnation

* * *

I just… I killed him.

My shaking hands dropped the rifle in their grip as I went into autopilot, my eyes finally leaving the bloody, cooling corpse.

In hindsight, my first kill probably should've effected me more than it did. I suppose Gamer's Mind had something to do with it, maybe it counted PTSD as an externally inflicted status effect. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I had died myself once, and therefore already been semi-used to the idea of death. Maybe I was just more callous than I realized at the time. All I know for sure is that I should've been puking all over the floor, possibly balling my eyes out, and hating myself for actually having the gall to take someone else's life.

At the time though…

I need to find someplace safe to wait out the attack. I know for a fact that there were more gunshots after the explosion than there were guards. I can't be caught out in the open like I just was, there was no way in hell I'll be lucky enough to run into someone with that low of stats again.

I was lucky he was as terrible at doing things as he was, otherwise I'd most certainly be dead right about now. He attacked the town, he murdered innocent people, and he took glee in a child's terror, he deserved to die. Yeah. He deserved to die.

Besides, it was self-defense; back home at least, if you could prove it was self defense, you could get off all but scot-free. That made it okay, right? Self-defense made a lot of would-be crimes become almost totally nullified. Self-defense made it okay.

I found myself hiding in an alcove underneath one of the shops in the higher end of town. It was just big enough for me to get through, so it was unlikely, if at all possible, for anyone else who was attacking and/or ransacking the town to follow me in. Not to mention the secret passageways that some of the White Fang used lead here, and they snaked around the whole city like a maze. From conversations that I overheard, some people got lost in them a while back and were never heard from again.

I could use that to my advantage, should this alcove become compromised. I could weave my way through the maze, hopefully losing anyone tailing me in the process, and wait for them to give up. Or get lost, in which case I'd wait for them to die due to natural causes and leave afterward.

I'm not certain how long I spent in that alcove, time just kind of blurred together for me. Hours, days, weeks, I'm not sure, but it sure felt like months at the time, just waiting for something… I'm not sure what, but waiting. Perhaps I was waiting for my mind to finally come to grips with my new reality, like I wasn't entirely sure that all that had happened was real before then.

All I knew, above all else, was that a part of me reveled in the fact that I was rewarded for killing someone.

And that scared me.

I just remembered… How did I, an 8-year-old, manage to _launch_ a fully grown adult across a street? There was no way I could've done so even back when I was an adult myself, how did I manage it as an 8-year-old.

**[Your species ****is the prime suspect in this case. After reviewing your genetic code properly, it has come to my attention that the closest known match to your animal DNA, as a Faunus, is the South American giant short-faced bear, or ****Arctotherium angustidens, the largest known species of bear recorded as of 2019. Also extinct.]**

So, I somehow got the genes for an extinct specie of bear that shouldn't even technically exist in this world?

Fucking fantastic.

"Could it get much worse from here?" I muttered to myself.

A response came in a gunshot from outside.

…

I just had to open my damn mouth didn't I?

Also, Murphy, just so we're clear, I despise you with all of my being.

Murphy probably didn't like that, and thus, a grenade found its way into my little alcove. I immediately did the most logical thing I could think of, which ended up being running the fuck away, and praying to whatever gods would listen that I made it out in time.

No gods were listening.

The grenade detonated, and I found myself missing a leg, followed by my organs turning into mincemeat from whatever explosive the damn thing used. That horrifying sensation was immediately followed by a searing pain in my newly-regrown leg, and a tearing sensation from all the shrapnel stuck in my body.

**[Due to your unpreparedness, your Aura did not activate!]**

**[Damage Taken!]**

**-500 HP**

**HP: 1,153**

I don't know how many times I 'died', but I do know that it hurt like nothing else I've ever experienced. There was a lot of screaming, probably mine, and the pain never seemed to end, it felt like an eternity before the shrapnel from whatever the grenade was finally either exited out new holes in my body or found their way to open areas in my organs and such.

When the pain finally ended, there was a sense of relief that just couldn't compare to anything. The best description I could give is that it was like what a christian that was in the middle of a faith crisis would feel if they saw Jesus himself descend from the heavens.

That changed when I saw where I was.

I had been pulled out of my alcove, and was face-to-face with… someone. I figured it was best not to assume that these people were the ones to attack the town, however likely it may have been. Even if I was right, and these people _were_ the ones to attack the town, I was now at their mercy; the lowest level of the group was 45, and the average was 56, not to mention there were at least 20 of them, and none had the stat problem of the bandit-class moron from before.

I would be dead in a heartbeat if they decided I wasn't worth their time.

Of those I could make out properly, they were looking at me with morbidly intrigued, and disturbed expressions. I idly wondered what they saw while I was writhing on the floor, all but literally screaming out my lungs. At that point I'd just about had enough of life, and I just wanted all the pain to end, so I curled myself into the fetal position, and just sat there, waiting for something to happen.

I didn't know what I expected, but seeing a pair of clean combat boots stop in front of me wasn't among the scenarios that were running through my head. They appeared to be well worn, but also well taken care of, given the shine they had to them, despite the smog that hung in the air.

I looked up, finding a stern woman with long, black hair staring down at me quizzically. I couldn't see her face, as it was hidden behind an ornate, white mask with red… pinstriping would be the best descriptor, I suppose. She wore a black skirt, shorts, stockings, and fingerless gloves; with deep red armor in the form of vambraces; and what looked like a black yukata with red shoulders and a red midriff.

I didn't have the mental energy to deal with anything for the moment – the sheer, agonizing pain of the shrapnel from the grenade still fresh in my mind – so I let my head slump back to the ground, no doubt looking the part of the corpse I felt like.

It was about an hour later, just enough time for me to have recovered, that she spoke. "Get up." It was clearly a command, but I wasn't sure if she was talking to me or the others, so I looked up again, silently asking a question my voice would fail to. She simply nodded to me, so I complied. Her level was insane, there was no way in hell I was going to be anything but a minor nuisance if she decided I was going to die.

**Name: Raven Branwen  
****Title(s): Branwen Tribe Leader, Spring Maiden  
****Class: Tribe Leader**

**Level: 168  
****EXP: 10,048/168,000  
****HP: 16,380/16,380  
****AP: 13,402/13,608  
****MP: 16,884/16,884**

**ATK: 309  
****VIT: 65  
****STR: 42  
****DEX: 162  
****DEF: 38  
****INT: 67  
****AGI: 174**

"Where are your parents kid?"

I tilted my head for a moment, the day having scrambled my mind. I spoke after a moment of reorganization. "Mother left… seven years ago, give or take."

More than one of the people in the circle surrounding me blinked in surprise. "And your father?" She asked.

I scowled at the mere implication of the infant abuser being my father. "Ruth lived in town." I responded, shrugging. Given the hell he put me through, I couldn't give any less of a shit about what happened to the shit-stain.

The response raised eyebrows, and I could all but _feel _the incredulity coming off them.

"Am I to assume this 'Ruth' is your father?" She asked after a moment.

I scowled again and responded with no small amount of venom in my voice. "Rutherford Smith was, in fact, my gene donor, if that's what you're asking."

If I could feel the incredulity before, now I was drowning in it.

"Right." The woman responded, looking at me in a new light. "There was a weakling that we've been chasing for a while that came through here, called himself the 'Red Sun', would you happen to know anything about that?"

"He's dead." I responded, shifting my gaze to one particularly interesting pebble.

"And how do you know that?" She asked.

"He tried to kill me." I could feel her eyes narrow behind her mask. "I beat him to it." I sincerely hoped that my voice didn't sound as dead to them as it did to me.

Alas, hope is just that. Merely hope.

The universe seemed determined to beat that lesson into my skull.

"I see." She said after a long moment. Another passed, and not one of the people surrounding me chose to speak.

"So, is this the part where you 'tie up loose ends', or did you have something else in mind?" I asked, trying to prepare myself.

The woman glanced around the gathering of people, probably looking for something. What she was looking for I don't know, but she kept at it for a while, before she knelt in front of me. "What might your name be, child?"

I was highly confused, and let it show on my face, though I responded. "Nolentem Marmor, though I go by Nolen."

"How do you feel about weakness?"

I was surprised by my answer, as I had spoken without thinking, but I couldn't say I disagreed. "Weakness must be destroyed, for it is through weakness that the strong fall, and the just fail."

"Well said. Welcome to the tribe, Nolen Branwen."

**[Congratulations! By interacting with a magically aware entity, your Mana has been unlocked!]**

**Name: Nolentem Marmor/Nolen Branwen  
****Title(s): Pale Eclipse  
****Class: Champion**

**Level: 30  
****EXP: 501/30,000  
****HP: 1,153/1,653  
****AP: 1,260/1,260  
****MP: 1,575/1,575**

**ATK: 68  
****VIT: 36  
****STR: 22  
****DEX: 28  
****DEF: 21  
****INT: 35  
****AGI: 26**

I suppose… things could be worse.

* * *

End Chapter 4

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well, that went lots faster than I thought it would. This was possibly the easiest chapter to right thus far, and thus came out just a day after the last chapter. This is a story I find to be increasingly easy to find inspiration for, and look forward to writing more!

Review reviewing corner:

GrayWolfDen: Can we get an F in chat for the guy that got flung across the street by an 8 year old

Response: F

In all seriousness though, that had totally slipped my mind while I was writing that scene, so I ended up coming up with a rather contrived reason for it. Apologies for that slip.

doomqwer: well shit looks like the kill count has begun and makes me wonder how dark you are prepared to get in this as you have not shyed away from child abuse and murder so i look forward to what twisted shit you come up with also i hope to god you dont follow the cliche of going to beacon as there is a ton he can do out in the world to do and cause chaos and make a name of the character and with mp meaning magic will come into play he will draw a lot of attention from all sides

Response: I plan to get rather dark for the first ark at least, but I'll have to see where inspiration takes me beyond that. Maybe I'll make this a dark fic, maybe I won't.

I hope you like where I'm taking the ark for the moment at least, I'll keep your opinion in mind when I get to the point that canon starts, but I will make no promises as far as beacon is concerned. I might be able to come up with an interesting ark for during the first year of canon, but until I know for certain, I won't guarantee either way.

His mana was unlocked this chapter, so I hope you enjoy what I have planned for what comes next. Spoiler-free, I plan to drive Nolen into the ground.

Gobert600: I'm satisfied, tell me, will there be matches? for the protagonist?

Response: Long story short, yes. The protag will have plenty of matches, it's just that the isolated town he grew up in didn't have any.

darkvampirekisses: Nothing beats a jelly-filled donut...

*Sorry not sorry*

I feel so bad for Nolan, 8 years old and already he had to take a life...

Response: DAMMIT BROCK! HOW'D YOU EVEN GET IN HERE?!

Seriously, though, I didn't even realize until you pointed it out.

If you feel bad for him now, you might want to stop reading here, given just who picked him up. I have no plan to stop the protag's 'training' any time soon.

Azrael Zero: Interesting how you're handling this. I was a bit surprised at his reaction to killing before I reread the first chapter. His version of Gamers mind only stops him from being messed with mentally, it doesn't actually stop trauma. He's just so naturally stoic I forgot.

Also about Ruby, I apologize if I sounded like I was encouraging romance. I meant because of how her character is. A inventor/craft would definitely be among her friends. Now as for a weapon, I assume you already have some choices. With this system in place, I can already tell you're gonna have fun.

You gave him a ton of abilities as a start, probably to give yourself some wiggle room. Maybe give him multiple weapons to use? One for long range, mid range, and short range. If he's a jack of all trades, might as well embrace it.

Response: I didn't realize I had made Nolen a stoic character. A fault in my writing style, I suppose. I had originally engineered his character to be an angry one, which should start showing either this chapter or the next. I suppose I've got some work ahead of me regarding character development. Ah, well

You didn't necessarily seem like you were, it's just that I didn't know what, precisely you meant by 'endear', so I went with what I assumed you meant by it. Another fault on my part.

I agree, an inventor would definitely be among her friends, if only because they would be able to keep up with her tech-talk, so I totally agree with that. I'm not entirely sure I'm going to have Nolen go down the route in which he focuses on crafting, but I'll see what I can work in.

Indeed, his weapons are locked in. I hope you enjoy what I have decided on once I get to that point.

Sam: love the idea of a more accurate title system. So again a undead slayer one, however, the only beings that could fear them are erased everytime an I'd is created so it should not work. You could create another title subsystem, where he dressed up as another and actually gains skills and physical attributes of that character when he uses it. Like a lion faunus with a history of thievery. However, they only exist if it's done enough. He would have to use it for a while to become a title.

Response: I can safely say the titles are just there for flavor text, and for glimpses into characters. I don't want to have some convoluted system where he earns a title that lets him become a supersaiyan or something. It's a simple way to get an idea of who the character is, or how they portray themselves to the public. It's nothing special.

That being said, the class system is something I'm still fleshing out, so if you have any ideas regarding that, I'm open to suggestions.

Review are only rarely unhelpful, so please leave yours!

Thank you for reading.


	5. Chapter 5 Won't Stop

Chapter 5  
Won't Stop

* * *

The next few days were _extremely_ painful for me, because what was left of the shrapnel from the grenade was working its way out of my system. I honestly felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out. Luckily for me, though, it only lasted for a few days, instead of the few weeks I expected it to last for.

The tribe has tolerated me well enough thus far, they seem to take care of their own, no matter what kind of trouble they get into, but they seem to be rather hesitant to accept me. I don't blame them personally, I was just some kid that showed up out of nowhere, seemed almost invincible, and got the leader to take me in. They didn't know who I was or what I could do, and that put them on edge. I would need to prove myself both reliable and capable in the coming months to years before they would truly accept me. That is, assuming I come to accept them.

That being said, I was almost four times as strong as an 8-year-old should be, so I should be able to prove myself capable easily enough. I would just have to work hard to prove myself reliable, which is easier said than done.

Raven had taken to training me personally, which was apparently an honor, so I made sure to show my gratitude whenever it was appropriate. She was a good teacher, but she was also strict and brutal with her methods. I don't know why she chose to train me, but she was doing a good job of it; my technique wasn't just swing/shoot at something until it died anymore.

All I knew for sure, was that I need adult figures in my life, and it was looking increasingly likely that the tribe was going to be those adult figures.

…

Age 9

"Nolen!" Came a shout from behind me. I turned around from my little campfire, and saw Shay raising his hand in my general direction, while glancing about. I raised an eyebrow at his behavior, but raised my hand in response, trying to grab his attention. He saw me with my hand up, and approached, having spotted my campfire.

**[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]**

**Name: Nolentem Marmor/Nolen Branwen  
****Title(s): Pale Eclipse  
****Class: Champion**

**Level: 31  
****EXP: 947/30,000  
****HP: 2,034/2,034  
****AP: 1,037/1,464  
****MP: 1,708/1,708**

**ATK: 40  
****VIT: 43  
****STR: 29  
****DEX: 31  
****DEF: 21  
****INT: 36  
****AGI: 35**

I rolled by eyes at the notification, dismissing it as I turned around, returning my attention to the campfire in order to avoid overcooking the rabbit. As I slowly turned the spit, I glanced at Shay as he took a seat on the other side of the campfire. From what I understand, he's the son of a couple in the tribe, though I don't put all that much stock into the story, beings as he doesn't _seem_ to share any traits with his parents.

The tribe seemed to like keeping the number of children to a minimum, as there was only one other person here that was under twenty years old. It made sense in my mind, keep the number of young down, and move camps once all of them can survive the trek. Once you arrive at a new location, boost the population just a bit more, and repeat. Naturally, raids would be conducted between moves.

"So, how is training going?" Shay asked, having decided he was done staring at my rabbit.

"Slow as always, but I'm getting better." I responded, not sure where he was taking this.

Shay was one of those people you could usually get a template of just about anywhere, but he had his moments where he proved his value. He was a good actor, though it was like comparing a matchstick to a bonfire if you compared him to my Acting skill, and he could be a particularly valuable asset when setting up traps and ambushes; his skill in that field outstripped literally everyone in the tribe.

Shay reached for the rabbit, but yelped as electricity jumped from the spit to his hand. I glared at him lightly, more annoyed that he wasn't waiting for it to be done cooking than attempting to eat the rabbit I had hunted. It was somewhat of an unspoken agreement between the two of us that he'd find me when I was cooking my kills, as he had possibly the biggest apatite here, and I had the smallest.

**[Trap has leveled up!]**

**Trap: Level 12**

**[This is the ability to lay and hide traps, regardless of the terrain. Gained by laying a simple snare trap. This skill can range from level 1-100.]**

**[Shock has leveled up!]**

**Shock: Level 2**

**[Shock is a basic magic spell that can be used without a focus, though it does a fifth of the damage, requires twice the MP, and gains a tenth of the experience. This skill can range from level 1-100.  
****At Level 1, Shock does 5 damage with a focus, and 1 without.  
****At Level 2, Shock does 10 damage with a focus, and 2 without.]**

"You and your electricity." Shay muttered, pouting.

"You seem to be under the impression that raw meat won't harm you." I responded, still focusing on cooking the rabbit.

"What's the worst that could happen?" He drawled lazily.

"You could get salmonella again, if that's what you want." I retorted, pointedly looking into Shay's eyes.

"Er… yeah. Never mind." He rubbed the back of his head, not wanting to experience that again.

There was a long bout of silence that settled between us as I finished cooking, only taking a single leg from the kill, and Shay diving into the rest. It was a pleasant silence, for me at least, as I chewed on my food in a far more reserved manner than Shay was. It was moments like these that I could almost imagine myself back home, having a camp out with grandpa when I was little.

**[Cooking has leveled up!]**

**Cooking: Level 5**

**[The ability to cook food. This skill can range from 1-100.]**

I opened up my journal, a pocket-sized notebook, rather, that I had started writing down my experiences, quirks I found in the native tongue, and general ideas for future projects and training. Of course, I wrote it in a slapped-together code that consisted of English, German, Ukrainian, Inuit, Japanese, Chinese, and Lazuri characters and grammar, so nobody could read it. Naturally, I would probably be the only person on the planet that could realistically speak _any_ of these languages, but if someone managed to get ahold of my journal, then I wanted to be safe.

I was currently working on sketching out the weapon I wanted to make if I ever got the chance, an exploded model, again so if someone managed to steal the journal, they'd just be confused. Its barrel would probably have to be made of some kind of alloy, since it would be under immense stress and heat constantly. I'd also have to adjust the firing mechanism for recoil dampening.

"So have you decided what weapon you want to use?"

"Yep."

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

I snorted, leave it to shay to be this nosy. "I'm probably going to go with a naginata and dagger for now, and build a weapon myself once I get the materials to do so."

"Really?" He asked, mildly surprised. "What kind of weapon are you going to try to make?"

"A sharp one." I responded, finishing my adjustments to the sketch and closing the book.

"A sharp what?"

"A sharp weapon."

"Is that all you're going to give me?"

"Unless you want to ask Raven, yes."

"A sharp weapon it is."

I sighed, pocketing the book once more, and tried to think of a way to start leveling my STR faster. There was only so much I could do in the tribe without drawing more attention to myself than I already was, and finding heavy objects just lying on the forest floor was about as realistic as expecting to breathe on the moon. Even if it was possible, you wouldn't want to try it.

After a minute of just staring off into space, I kicked some dirt over the campfire, and got ready for bed; Shay following suit not too long after. It was almost totally routine at this point, crawl into the tent that I shared with Shay, roll out the sleeping mat I was allotted, and try to go to sleep. I was so used to it, I almost missed the glance he shot me that sat somewhere between curious and smug.

I used to be an insomniac before my beatings from Ruth, which only really served to make it far more severe. The few nights that I truly manage to fall asleep, my dreams are filled with night terrors, so I tend to avoid sleeping as best I can; which lead me to discover that I've managed to learn how to half-sleep. In other words, I can force myself into a state of unconsciousness in which I'm still aware enough to spring into action at the slightest sound.

That state of half-sleep is what allowed me to draw my hunting knife on the intruder that entered the tent. When I came to properly, I narrowed my eyes at Vernal, as I put the knife away again. I'd had it at her throat a moment earlier, and had her mouth covered with my left hand. A moment passed before I removed my hand and watched as she picked herself up, silently gesturing for me to follow her.

I blinked in mild confusion, but complied after a moment to make sure my journal was still in its pocket. She took me to Raven's tent, opening the flap just enough that both of us could fit through, and closed it behind us. The tent itself was both spacious and minimalistic, it didn't have much on the inside, and was big enough that a full-blown strategy meeting could take place; probably so that it was easy to collapse and move elsewhere, and big enough that she wouldn't have to worry about cramming people in.

Raven herself was waiting for us inside, and after my brief look around the area, I focused on her, waiting for either a go-ahead to speak or orders from her. Vernal had placed herself a little to the side, just far enough away that she wasn't in the direct line of sight, but close enough that we both knew she was there without having to look for her.

"What is your secret, Nolen?" Raven prompted, eyebrow raised. She didn't seem to be in a bad mood, so this question is likely more out of curiosity than demand.

I thought my response through for a brief moment. "I'm going to have to ask you to be more specific, mam. I have a few secrets." I knew that she wouldn't take too much offense at that, from probing questions and statements over the last year.

The other eyebrow raised, either at my honesty or at the plural form I had used. Possibly both. "I am referring to the secret to your growth. I have never seen someone grow so much in so little time, let alone someone so young. While you're at it, I would like to know why you are as mature as you are."

I paused for a long moment, thinking through my response, and what I would reveal. There wasn't much I could do to convince her of the truth, and that made me frown somewhat in contemplation.

**[Tutorial – Parties]**

**[Parties are groups of characters that the player allows access to the Gamer System. Each time a character is added, they will be granted access to the stats screen, and a temporary version of Gamer's Body known as NPC's Body. Each time a character is removed, access to the stats screen and NPC's Body is revoked. All characters within a Party can communicate through the Party Chat feature. A Party can be as small or large as the Player wants, and once a party exceeds 10 characters, sub-parties are enabled.]**

After a moment of contemplation, and suspicion, I returned my focus to Raven. "Would you prefer an explanation, or would you like me to show you?"

"If you can show me in a manner that is nondestructive, that would be my preference."

I took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and proceeded. '_Form new Party._' I thought, focusing on Raven.

I saw the window that popped up in her vision, and she blinked in surprise, glancing at it, and then to me. I nodded, trying to give her confirmation that I was the person that sent the message to her. She seemed to read over it for a long moment, possibly taking in all the knowledge it would grant her, and tapped the accept button.

* * *

End Chapter 5

* * *

Author's Notes:

This chapter took longer to make than the others for two reasons; One, I got distracted by an anime that I found which I binged and lost a day worth of writing for, and two, I didn't get any sleep one night, and ended up sleeping that day away.

I apologize.

Review reviewing corner:

doomqwer: Hmm so Branwen tribe interesting this should work well as being a bandit opens up a ton of adventure and story directions so this should be interesting to see with the amount of paths you have just opened up

Response: I will do my best to meet your expectations, sir/mam.

Sam: New idea. Give the class system certain pluses and negatives. A champion gains an increase in all parameters when fighting for something, however, they automatically have a -50% rep with anyone of the opposite thing they mainly fight for. They overall gain and give a lot of bonus's to their allies however they have far more enemies that unless they meet them won't get the notification for it. Meaning he can gain a lot of enemies and allies in the background and not know it causing a constant feeling of helplessness for him.

Response: That is an interesting idea, I'll take it under consideration for once I introduce reputation points. Keep in mind, that's a ways off yet, but I like the potential it has.

Perhaps, as a champion, it's easier to gain rep points with someone in the positives, and harder for someone in the negatives? This sort of depth could be interesting to explore further. I'd like to discuss this with you more, but since you aren't signed in, our discussions will end up clunky and slow, so please consider. Otherwise, I'll keep your ideas in mind, and see if I can work them in fluidly.

Entomoid: Pigs have better smell.

Most dark-fic turn to pointless angst or chunbiyou shadow the hedgehog.

I kinda expected a damage resist lvl 56 from abuse at a young age.

Response: To be honest, I just googled what animal had the best sense of smell, and according to my results, 'Bears likely have the most robust sense of smell...', so that's what I went with, aside from the fact that nobody would be intimidated by a damn pig faunus, sorry to say.

I am aware of the reputation dark-fics have, and I plan on avoiding as many of the tropes that lead to that reputation as I can get away with. You can rest easier knowing that I am not as incompetent as some.

If you review Chapter 1, you'll encounter the function and leveling process dedicated to each and every stat. Taking damage does_ not_ level his defense.

Azrael Zero: I can already guess why she'd be interested in him. He can practically regenerate, has already killed someone who should be much stronger then him, has his aura unlocked, and has no real ties to anyone. Add the fact that he despises weakness and I'm pretty sure she all but adopted him.

Very well done. Each chapter is always fun to read. The only real compliant I have is the length, but that can be forgiven since you're probably still feeling things out. As for him being stoic instead of being angry, I think I felt that way because you made him kinda sarcastic with letting him lose control. There are two types of anger after all, cold or hot. Those who's anger runs hot are the typical ones you see in media. The hotheads who blow up at anything. Those who let their rage run cold are focused. Calculating. Maybe he could be both? A hothead outside of battle, and focused inside? Maybe even make it a trait of his.

Once again. Great story.

Response: I'm glad you at least partially understand my thought process regarding Nolen's recruitment into the Branwen tribe, as it was a difficult decision to come to. In my original outline, I had him encounter the tribe much later in life, and he slaughtered them for being bandits. Not my proudest version of this story, let's say.

I'm glad you enjoy the story thus far, and hope I won't lose your interest any time soon. As for length, I _could_, hypothetically speaking, aim for 5k words/chapter, but 2k is what Chapter 1 ended up being, and my typical goal is 2k+ words/chapter. I just want to be able to pump these chapters out as quickly as I can without sacrificing quality, that doesn't always work, as is evidenced by my earliest works, but in this case, at least, I hope I am succeeding. Again, I could aim for 5k per CH, but it would take twice as long to write chapters, and I tend to overthink things when that happens.

I'll leave it up to you reviewers, though. Should I try to aim for 5k per chapter, or is the current 2k+ good enough?

I think I understand your thoughts on his character now. I, personally, become a sarcastic ass when I get mildly angry, and Nolen is loosely based off me, so that's what I ended up with as a character. I will see what I can do to improve his character as time goes on, but I make no promises.

To zeldawolffang, I totally agree.

To Zodasrogy, and piggyslayer1235, I'm glad you're enjoying.

Pointers, tips, ideas, complaints, etc. are always welcome, flames are not, so please leave your review to either help me improve or give me your thoughts.

Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6 Revelations and Strain

**Author's Note:**

**I am incredibly sorry this came out as late as it did, I had serious trouble writing Raven's character in this chapter, and I think it shows. All I can really say about it is I don't think I did her character justice, but that's up to the readers to decide.**

**On another note, I need to know the readers' opinions on trying me aiming for 5k words+ per chapter instead of the current 2k+. If anyone thinks it would improve the overall quality of the story, please say so. Thank you for your time.**

* * *

Chapter 6  
Revelations and Strain

* * *

Raven looked down at the screen in front of her, silently contemplating just what it meant to both her and the tribe. It was known to the tribe that magic was part of their reality, yet this child came into the equation and immediately threw all of their preconceptions out the window. He was strong, fast, smart, and mature for a 9-year-old child, and yet he was still getting stronger faster than anyone else in the tribe. It honestly had more than a few of them on edge, including Raven herself.

More recently, when she had begun training him, his growth only seemed to increase, proving he had the potential to be both a great asset, and a horrifying danger. Raven had taken notice of that the second she had first found him in that crevice underneath the bar in that town, screaming like a banshee for no discernible reason. That was, until he was pulled out from said crevice, into the light. What they had found was as concerning as it was intriguing.

The child, toddler really, was covered in so many scars it looked like he had taken a grenade point-blank. They would only find out how accurate that was hours later, long after any normal person would have lost their voice from shredding their vocal cords. As he had laid there, spasming from pain, shrapnel that could have only came from a grenade had forced its way out of his body. It was yet one more hour later that he finally stopped screaming, though he was still sporadically twitching from whatever pain was working its way out of his system.

This was apparently his secret to both how he managed to grow so quickly, and how he became seemingly invincible, given the show he had put on for them.

**[Welcome to The Gamer: Better Armory Edition Version 1.4.2]  
****[You are an NPC, and therefore will only gain 20% of the EXP of any given kill/quest. Fret not, as this is simply a precaution set in place to ensure the Player's safety. Would you like to run through the Tutorial?]**

**[Y]  
****[N]**

She pushed yes, of course, as a tutorial would be essential for a system like this. She had paid attention when Taiyang and Summer had explained video games to her and Qrow all those years ago, however much it may have seemed otherwise, and so she had a vague idea as to where this was going. She took several minutes to herself to read over everything that was on the blue screen in front of her.

It was all explained adequately, but she had a few questions regarding the leveling system. How would one gain levels if they didn't want to wait?

**[Killing a human/faunus character results in all those who participated in the battle receiving an appropriate fraction of the entirety of the EXP the character had. Merely beating a human/faunus character will only result in the party receiving 10% of the character's accumulated EXP. Killing a monster/grimm will result in the party receiving 30% of the monster's/grimm's total EXP. Merely beating a monster/grimm will result in no EXP being awarded unless it is part of a quest.]**

Ah, so killing the so-called 'red sun' must've helped in gaining strength, then. At least now she was absolutely certain that Nolen indeed _had_ killed the man.

This system would also explain why he's never been particularly challenged by anything that the tribe threw at him as far as endurance was concerned.

She only really had a single question, now.

* * *

Vernal seemed to be getting rather fidgety as time went on, shifting from foot to foot as Raven continued her steady pace of reading and pausing to think. After a long moment, Raven looked up from the screen, facing me.

"I believe I understand the situation to an extent, Nolen. However you have yet to answer my second question." Raven said, eyeing me.

I rubbed the back of my neck, unsure of how to respond for a long moment. "I'm… not entirely sure myself, to be honest. I remember… dying in a train wreck." I responded, involuntarily shuddering at the memory. "After that, I woke up in what I can only really describe as a… void. A lack of… well… anything. Then a screen popped up in front of me, and I assume you can infer the rest."

"I see." She said, letting herself think for a long moment. "I believe, at present, that the best course of action would be to allow you to… increase your level until such a time as you are roughly equal to me in terms of overall strength." Vernal looked totally lost as she glanced at Raven, blinking in surprise.

"That… may be a problem." I responded.

"How so?"

"The average civilian is about level twenty-five, and the average of the tribe is about level fifty-three. You are level _one-hundred-sixty-nine_." Was my response, in an effort to make her understand just how tall of an order that was. Raven blinked once in mild surprise, but didn't react much more than that.

"That certainly puts things into perspective. What level are you at the moment?"

"Currently, I'm at thirty-one."

Raven nodded absently, thinking over the information that was laid out before her.

I sighed, getting my own thoughts in order before continuing. "That being said, I seem to have a leg up on most people as far as leveling is concerned. The system seems to be something of an enhancing force, if that makes any sense."

Raven nodded, likely having come to a similar conclusion herself. "For the moment at least, you need to focus on getting stronger, whether by increasing your stats or leveling."

"I've been doing what I can, but in order to do that, I either need a quest to pop up, or I need to start killing things; and in my experience, quests only give like fifty-ish e-x-p. Then again, I've never received a quest that was particularly dangerous."

Vernal just stared on as if we were both insane, and to be fair, we probably sounded like we had totally lost all sense of reality.

"That is a valid concern." Raven noted, shifting her posture slightly. "However, it would be best for everyone you become involved with if you were at least about level eighty."

I thought it over for a moment, and I had to agree. If nothing else, it would be best for the simple fact that I couldn't reasonably expect to be in an active combat situation and win against trained opponents. I would need to level up an inordinate amount if I wanted to survive the coming years and remain comfortable with my position.

**Personal Quest: Grinding  
****[You have acknowledged that you are weak, and are in desperate need of strength if you wish to survive.]**

**Objectives:  
****Reach level 80 by this time next year.  
****Acquire a personal weapon by this time next year.**

**Bonus Objectives:  
****1:Reach level 200 by this time next year.  
****2:Reach level 80 in 6 months.  
****3:Craft a personal weapon by this time next year.  
****4:Acquire armor by this time next year.  
****5:Craft armor by this time next year.**

**Rewards:  
****10,000 Experience, 5,000 Lien, and 1 skill book.**

**Bonus Rewards:  
****1:****100,000 Experience, 50,000 Lien, 3 skill books, ****C****lass Rank-up.  
****2:****20,000 Experience, 10,000 Lien, 1 r****andom support item****.  
****3:1-time use {Indestructible} modifier for weapon.  
****4:1,000 Experience, 2,000 Lien.  
****5:****5,000 Experience, 10,000 Lien, {Indestructible} modifier ap****plied**** to all armor pieces.**

**Failure:  
****Permanent -50% Aura debuff, permanent 3* multiplier for damage taken, Weakling title, Civilian Class override.**

**[Would you like to accept?]**

**[Y]  
****-[N]-**

…

…

…

Well fuck.

I couldn't decline the quest. That means I _absolutely must_ accept it, which means if I fail, I'm utterly _fucked_. If I fail, not only will the game mock me, but I'll be nothing but _cannon fodder_ against literally anyone who might be even moderately strong.

Raven must have noticed my sour expression and twitching eye, because she raised an eyebrow at me, more than likely wanting me to explain why I looked like I wanted to kill something. I quickly accepted the quest, and shared the details with raven over the party chat, typing in the details word-for-word. This quest was either going to be an enormous boon, or the death of me.

Vernal gave me an odd look that I couldn't quite place, but she refocused on Raven before I could say anything, so I let it be.

"Those stakes are _quite_ high." Raven muttered to herself, thinking things over. "I'll crank up your training regimen, you need to have proportional stats for your level a-s-a-p. After you've gotten into a comfortable position, I'll have you attend some of our raids on the weaker rival tribes. During that, you'll be free to cut down any grimm you come across. We'll see where to go from there."

"Understood, mam."

"You're both free to go."

I simply nodded, as did Vernal, and we left her tent, heading back to our own.

"So, how old are you?" Vernal asked, quietly.

I glanced to her, wondering why she was asking, before settling on responding. "I was twenty when I died, so… twenty-nine, mentally." She gave me a small smile as I glanced at her curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Puberty." Was her simple reply, and my head slowly fell as I sighed in annoyance.

"Please don't remind me."

She giggled and sped away towards her tent as I frowned and headed back to mine.

The fact that she giggled scares me. Vernal _never_ giggles.

* * *

It took a grand total of 3 months to get to a point where I was comfortable enough with my growth to start genuinely fighting people. Beginner's luck aside, I was a fucking idiot in my fight against the red sun. I _should_ have died, but my unpredictability probably threw him off, forcing him into a situation he wasn't familiar or comfortable with.

'_Character Stats._'

**Name: Nolentem Marmor/Nolen Branwen  
****Title(s): Pale Eclipse  
****Class: Champion  
**

**Level: 33  
****E****XP****: 947/****33,000  
****HP: 2,598/2,598  
****AP: 2,512/2,512  
****MP: 1,992/1,992**

**ATK: 73  
****VIT:52  
****STR:45  
****DEX:50  
****DEF:26  
****INT:40  
****AGI:49**

Let it be known that I despise stat grinding with a passion; it's painful, time consuming, and overall difficult to deal with in a calm manner. I would've just dropped the game if it weren't my life right about now, as I've never really had enough patience to deal with _normal_ grinding, nevermind the hell I was being put through here. I just wish I could use summoning right about now, as there are a few creatures that I could think of that would be useful about now.

I shook my head to dispel my wandering thoughts, refocusing on the camp before me. It wasn't large, merely a few tents scattered around a smallish campfire; it was barely large enough to be called a camp, really, but it was where we were headed regardless. At this point, all I could realistically do is hope that my training held, and I was good enough to deal with what was coming.

I was nervous, but I had a backup plan for if and when everything went to shit.

**[Stealth has leveled up!]  
****Stealth: Level 46**

Oh, right, that was something I forgot to comment on earlier; Stealth was the one thing I was able to consistently level during my time with the tribe, making it by far my best skill. I didn't know whether I'd be of any use or not, so I was utilizing its active effect, and keeping myself hidden from all but the best trackers. I held no allusions that I was fooling Raven, for example, but I couldn't help but wonder how long it was going to take before I managed to level it to a point where I _could_.

Once more, I had to shake away my wandering thoughts, forcing myself to focus on the upcoming battle, and what would come of it.

I held my naginata close to my chest, nervous.

This would be my first proper battle, and I didn't want to fuck it up if I could help it.

* * *

End Chapter 6

* * *

Author's Note:

Once more, I'm terribly sorry for taking as long as I did to update the story, I was struggling with inspiration for a while, and thus, I ended up starting like four different projects that may or may not end up on this site at a later date. If you have any interest in seeing any of them, let me know. Otherwise, as stated at the top, I struggled with Raven's character, which leads me to wonder if I should move on from the tribe soon, or wait until I have given Nolen a reason to remain loyal. Hmmm.

Review reviewing corner:

darkvampirekisses:

Ooh, boy, and so Raven gets to discover the truth of our little gamer... I wonder how she will react.

Reply:

I hope this chapter provides insight, but as I've stated twice already, I don't think I did her character justice. I could've done worse, I suppose.

Entomoid:

I was thinking along the lines of a passive skill, as opposed to a stat raise.  
Just so that he gained something for enduring for so long; aside from the scars.  
Is the semblance set in stone yet?  
As an ancient bear faunus, would he grow tall and muscular, or tall and athletic despite his actual strength.  
do you think the reason Krow and Raven can morph is because of being apart of the Branwen Tribe?

Reply:

Ah, okay. Yeah, what I wanted to do, is make the game rather unfair when it doesn't want him to do something; for example, if he were to reach level 1,000 anytime soon, the game would likely severely punish him with monsters and grimm alike being outrageously overleveled, making him feel like he was back at level 1. Basically, the game didn't want him to have an overpowered ability just _yet_, so it didn't give him one.

His semblance, as of this moment, is not set in stone, as I haven't thought of anything that would fit his character just yet. I am open to suggestions, if that is what you're implying.

I think he would likely grow tall and muscular, but that's just my opinion, as with his current training regime, and his tendencies, growing to be more on the lean side is possible.

I will comment on your last question, but keep in mind it contains spoilers, so if you don't want any spoilers for RWBY official, skip the underlined words.

No, Qrow and Raven do not possess the ability to transform simply because they are Branwens, but because they received the ability from Ozma. I can only guess how Oz gave them the power, as magic is never properly explored in the series official, but safe to say that they are the only ones in the world who can.

Sam, I pm'd you, but you didn't reply, so take from that what you will.

doomqwer:

i am sir and i am sure you will i do like that you are using the party mechanic as it should be interesting to see how raven reacts to the whole situation

Reply:

I hope you are at least happy with what came out from it, but I don't think I did any good. Ah, well.

Azrael Zero:

Now this is interesting. Not many people would start the party system so soon. Let alone with someone so much stronger. However you not only did that, but also with someone who practically worships strength. If you're trying to endear her to him, this just might do it.

I'm glad you're giving him some comrades, maybe not friends quite yet, but its much better then what he had before. Stops him from being entirely antisocial. Now the real question starts, are you going to allow him to recreate abilities from other franchises? That's a staple of the Gamer ability. Since you can mostly create any skill provided you know how it works and have the stats.

Curious on your answer. Keep up the good work.

Reply:

I'm not entirely sure if I _am_ trying to endear her to him, but that scene in particular was definitely a fun to write.

Indeed, he now has a reason to become strong; keep the tribe strong, and you keep yourself strong, and now he has at least a few close comrades. I'm not sure if I'm going to recreate _abilities_, but I do think I'm going to give him equipment from other franchises, at the very least; as it could be interesting to work in if I can do so properly.

Xarthos:

And that was the moment Nolen realized he fucked up

Reply:

DUN DUN DUUNNNNN!

;)

To piggyslayer, I'm glad your enjoying the story.

Thank you for reading. Please leave any and all criticism you may have in a review, and I can guarantee you that I will read it at the very least.


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